A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 58 Fire God's Thorn

He had long coveted that soul-binding secret technique. Soul-binding secret techniques are rare, and when activated, they are silent and undetectable, making them impossible for enemies to defend against.

This technique requires one's own divine sense as the foundation, cutting off a portion of the divine sense power, and then slowly nurturing it with the power of the soul. The longer the nurturing time, the stronger the power. The limit for a Foundation Establishment cultivator is to nurture three Fire God Thorns.

Although this technique is powerful, it has limitations. It cannot be used on someone whose spiritual sense far surpasses one's own.

Although the severed consciousness can slowly recover like magical power, the excruciating pain at the moment of the cut is unbearable for ordinary people. Although Luo Ming had not experienced it firsthand, he could imagine the agony of his soul being torn apart.

But once he mastered this technique, he would have an extra trump card to protect himself. The cultivation world was fraught with danger; he might be fine today but gone tomorrow. What was a little pain compared to becoming stronger? A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he was already prepared to endure the pain.

,,,,,,

A slight ripple suddenly came from the barrier outside the cave. A cyan sound transmission talisman pierced through the barrier, hovering in mid-air and trembling slightly, emitting a faint spiritual energy fluctuation. Luo Ming glanced at it and, based solely on the style of the sound transmission talisman and its spiritual energy aura, knew the identity of the person who had come.

Over the past six months, this person had frequently visited, though without any important business, and was quite attentive. As the manager of this market area, Luo Ming was reluctant to engage in excessive socializing, but he also couldn't directly refuse, lest he offend the person.

Luo Ming got up and pushed open the stone door of the cave. Standing outside was a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a light blue robe with a gentle face. It was Lu Xuan, the one who had hosted the auction. During this time, Luo Ming had gone to the auction twice to bid on pills, and over time, he had become acquainted with this manager.

When the middle-aged cultivator saw Luo Ming emerge, his gaze swept over him, noticing his solid mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation and increasingly composed aura. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he then smiled and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Fellow Daoist Luo is truly a diligent cultivator. No wonder he was able to advance to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage at such a young age. Such talent and perseverance are truly admirable. Perhaps a hundred years from now, I'll still have to call him Senior Luo, haha!"

Luo Ming stepped aside slightly to make way, waved his hand and laughed, "Fellow Daoist Lu, you overestimate me. I'm just cultivating in my spare time. On the contrary, Fellow Daoist Lu, you're probably not far from the peak of Foundation Establishment, and you've even reached the threshold of Core Formation before me, haven't you?"

"Alas, among us rogue cultivators, how many can reach the Core Formation stage in a thousand years? I, Lu, will not dare to hope for it," the other party said with a wry smile.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, your visit today must be more than just pleasantries, right?" He was already used to the other party's attentiveness and went straight to the point.

The middle-aged cultivator, addressed as Fellow Daoist Lu, didn't mince words and entered the cave. After Luo Ming deactivated the restrictions, he smiled and replied, "Fellow Daoist Luo is indeed straightforward. To be honest, I have come today with a request. However, before we get to the point, I'd like to confirm one thing: does Fellow Daoist Luo keep a fire-attribute demonic beast?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Ming's eyes narrowed slightly, and he was secretly alarmed: "The Fat Sun Bird has been in the spirit beast pouch the whole time, and I've deliberately concealed its aura. How did it know?" However, he remained outwardly calm and asked indifferently, "What makes you say that, Fellow Daoist Lu?"

Seeing this, Lu Xuan knew that Luo Ming was wary, so he explained frankly: "Fellow Daoist Luo, please don't be offended. It was not my intention to spy on you. To be honest, I have a rare Fiery Sun Body, which makes me extremely sensitive to the fire attribute energy in the world. When I came into contact with you before, I could faintly sense a pure and domineering spiritual fire power, which is definitely not something that ordinary fire attribute demon beasts can emit."

Luo Ming was even more astonished. He had seen records of the Fiery Sun Physique in ancient books. This physique has a natural control over fire-attribute power, so it is not surprising that it can sense the hidden fire-attribute aura.

He no longer concealed anything and nodded slightly: "Fellow Daoist Lu has keen eyesight. I do indeed keep a level two fire-attribute spirit beast. May I ask how your mention of this relates to your request?"

Upon seeing Luo Ming's confirmation, a hint of joy flashed in Lu Xuan's eyes, and he quickly said, "To be honest, I recently intend to refine a top-grade magic weapon called 'Mysterious Fire Mirror.' This treasure is incredibly powerful and is a replica of a powerful ancient treasure. It has a strong amplifying effect on fire-attribute techniques. However, the refining conditions are extremely demanding, requiring at least three top-grade demonic beast fires to be fused together."

"I myself raise a fire toad with a top-tier third-level bloodline, which contains Azure Nether Fire within its body; in addition, a good friend of mine raises a Crimson-Crowned Crane that can exhale Crimson Sun Fire."

"Now everything is ready, except for the last top-tier spiritual fire, and the fire attribute aura within Fellow Daoist Luo's cave perfectly matches the requirements." Lu Xuan's tone was earnest, his gaze fixed intently on Luo Ming.

Luo Ming understood immediately; it turned out that he wanted to use the extreme yang fire of the Zhiyang Bird to refine a magical artifact. He did not answer immediately, but pondered quietly.

Seeing this, the cultivator surnamed Lu quickly offered his bargaining chip: "Fellow Daoist Luo, rest assured, if this matter succeeds, I am willing to offer five bottles of Qi Harmony Pills as a reward. These Qi Harmony Pills are excellent for Foundation Establishment cultivators to stabilize their cultivation and replenish their spiritual energy, which should be sufficient to meet Fellow Daoist Luo's cultivation needs. In addition, I will also give you a bottle of this item to help your fire-attribute demon beast advance to the third level within three months!"

After saying that, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and a tall, white jade bottle appeared. It was semi-transparent and seemed to contain a mass of blood-red liquid.

The moment the jade bottle appeared, the Zhiyang Bird in the spirit beast pouch immediately conveyed a strong sense of desire.

"Advancing to level three within three months? This thing is... the essence blood of a high-level demon beast?" Luo Ming was finally moved.

The Zhiyang Bird is now at the peak of level two, just one step away from level three. However, he knows how difficult it is for demon beasts to break through. He feels that if he wants to advance to level three, he will need to continue accumulating experience for more than a year.

The only way for a monster to accelerate its advancement is to devour the essence and blood of a higher-ranking monster of the same origin.

Luo Ming pondered for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind: the Qi-Harmony Pill could solve his need for cultivation resources, and helping the Fat Yang Bird to quickly accumulate foundation and advance was an opportunity that was hard to come by. As for helping to refine magic weapons, it would not cause him much loss. The only thing he needed to be wary of was the potential risks.

However, if Lu Xuan, as the manager of the market, truly had malicious intentions, he wouldn't need to go to such lengths to offer such high profits. Moreover, Luo Ming had ample confidence in his own abilities.

Having figured this out, Luo Ming looked up at Lu Xuan and nodded, saying, "Fellow Daoist Lu's conditions are indeed very sincere. I agree to this."

Seeing Luo Ming agree, Lu Xuan's smile deepened, and he handed the jade bottle to Luo Ming: "Fellow Daoist Luo is so generous! To show my sincerity, this bottle of level four fire-attribute demonic beast essence blood will serve as a deposit."

This essence blood contains pure fire-attribute primordial power, which can help your spirit beast break through its bottleneck within three months. Only after it breaks through and its flame power greatly increases can it better support the refining of the Profound Fire Mirror.

Luo Ming's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the jade bottle. The bottle was warm to the touch, and a quick scan with his divine sense revealed the surging fire-attribute power within—it was indeed genuine fourth-level demon beast blood essence. He cupped his hands in thanks, "Fellow Daoist Lu, you've gone to so much trouble. I accept this generous gift. I will inform you once I've arranged for the spirit beast's breakthrough."